A Difficult Assignment
by morganna12
Summary: Lucius Malfoy has had difficult assignments, but none like this. The Dark Lord told him to find Hermione Granger, easy, right? Having to seduce her to joining the Dark Side makes it a bit more complicated. But will Hermione change sides, or will he?
1. Natural

**Fan-fiction genre:** Books

**Fan-fiction book:** Harry Potter

**Rating: **T

**Category: **General

**Subcategory: **Drama

**Character 1: **Hermione Granger

**Character 2: **Lucius Malfoy

**Summary:** Lucius Malfoy has had difficult assignments before, but nothing like this. The Dark Lord told him to find Hermione Granger, easy enough, right? Finding a girl who's on-the-run is one thing, but having to seduce her into joining the Dark Side makes it a bit more complicated. Will he succeed or will he be the one changing sides?

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs not to me, but to J.K. Rowling. I'm not getting any profit for writing this book, especially since Rowling would never, _ever_ try to pair up Hermione and Lucius. If that's even what I'm doing. Because it's a secret, or something. :D

**Note:** This is not compatible with Deathly Hallows or Half-Blood Prince, but really, why would I want it to be? Then Voldemort would be dead, and how boring would that be?

* * *

**Chapter One - Natural**

Acting natural wasn't a talent a Malfoy just received at birth. They had been brought up with the knowledge that blood was everything, and that if you had the surname of Malfoy, you were entitled to what others weren't. All of this combined makes them conceited and bigoted and at the same time cunning enough that they feel inclined to walk about feeling pretty damn sure of themselves.

Because of that, you wouldn't think a prized trait in a Malfoy would be to just blend into the background. To act like you were just like another ordinary citizen. In fact, you could assume that a Malfoy with that sort of quality would be disowned in less than a heartbeat.

So who in their right mind would think that the man leaning against a wall, his face and hair obscured by a hooded cloak, was Lucius Malfoy? It couldn't be, Malfoys have to be seen and heard. And respected. And no one can respect him when he's hiding near the back of a swarming Muggle bar.

He held a half filled glass of scotch, his second one that night, to his lips and took a quick sip, smoothly concealing a grimace at the taste. If there was one thing that irked him, it was cheap scotch. After he scanned the crowds, he shook his head, unsatisfied, and ambled towards the bar. He had been staking out this location for the past two weeks, and he had yet to even glimpse the girl he was looking for. Could the tip he had gotten been wrong? Or, even worse, had he been lied to?

Well, nobody lied to Lucius Malfoy and got away with it. Angered, he slammed the scotch glass onto the bar and walked off without paying. A low-class bar full of Muggles didn't deserve funds anyways, not that he would even _think_ about carrying filthy Muggle money such as that. He weaved through the crowd of people jumping up and down in a drunken attempt to dance, narrowly avoiding contact with a woman with curly brown hair. Smirking in satisfaction, he followed her swiftly across the dance floor, trying to get a quick look at her face before making the assumption that she was the girl he had been searching for. She was stumbling as she headed towards a hallway in a dimly lit corner, and Lucius made sure he kept his distance to around 10 feet so no one would get suspicious. Just as he turned to the hallway, he saw her trying to open a bathroom door, but with no luck. Pulling his wand out from his cloak pocket, he snuck quietly behind her then reached around to clamp a hand over her mouth while at the same time whispering,

"Don't…move…"

Squealing, she tried to writhe free of his grasp, but he was much stronger, and carted her down the hallway and out the back door without a problem. He shoved her against the wall, pushing his wand against her throat.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The girl spat, glaring up at his intimidating frame, her blue eyes flashing with anger. _Wait, blue eyes,_ Lucius cursed silently, realizing this was the wrong girl, _well, the hideous wench is a Muggle anyway_,

"_Avada Kedavra_," he muttered, watching as the green light hit her and she fell to the ground, the life slowly leaving her eyes. Sneering down at her with unsympathetic eyes, Lucius glanced around the alleyway, and then disappeared.

* * *

He angrily kicked open the door to his hotel room, and slammed it shut. Quickly he scanned the small room, barely taking in anything except when his eyes zeroed in on the fireplace.

Lucius had hardly been in this hotel room since he arrived in New York City, but the times he had spent locked inside the dreadful place was not spent cleaning, which explained the chaos the room held. Obviously he had told the maid service not to come up; this was a Muggle city if there ever was one, and he hadn't wanted them to poke around and find his store of poisons or his Foe Glass. The single bed was unmade, and very dimly visible seeing as the only light source was from the solitary lamp sitting at the far edge of the room. Luckily he had had the good sense to transfigure something into a fireplace so that he could still communicate with his fellow Death Eaters by Floo powder, which was what he planned to do right now, regardless of the time.

He tossed some Floo powder into the fire, quickly spoke a name and waited for the man's head to appear.

"Lucius," Severus Snape said slickly, "Having a pleasant time in America, I hope?"

"Not as pleasant as I'd hope, Snape," he replied softly, but that didn't keep his voice from sounding menacing, "Maybe you'd like to explain to me how I've yet to see the retched mudblood after being here as long as I have?"

"I don't know, Lucius," Severus regarded Lucius' tone with one of his own, "Perhaps you're losing your touch," he added pointedly, "After all, I told you exactly where the Order says she's hidden, and I know for a fact she's working at that bar like nothing more than a common Muggle."

"I think the Dark Lord would be quite interested if you were to, say, be lying about her whereabouts to shield your precious Order." Lucius threatened, his eyes narrowing.

"Ah, yes, well you're wrong about that one, because I was just speaking to the Dark Lord earlier and he has no questions about my allegiance."

"Well maybe he would after he finds out who you're protecting," Lucius was beginning to get frustrated and wanted the correct information right now.

"If you can't handle this assignment, just Floo the Dark Lord and tell him. I'm sure he'd be very…" Severus paused, the intention of his words very clear, "understanding."

"This assignment would be a lot easier, if you were to tell me where she has taken up residence."

"Fine, if you need help," he smirked slightly, "then I would be glad to oblige. I'll talk to Dumbledore come morning and get back to you."

Lucius nodded curtly, "Goodbye Severus," he replied, standing up. Once he pulled off his cloak, he headed over to his bed.

As the weak and defective springs in the bed squeaked at his weight, Lucius closed his eyes but did not sleep for hours; for Malfoys could never have a good night's sleep in substandard hotels with unsuitable beds.

* * *

Lucius awoke when the sun came streaming through the diminutive windowpane. He rolled out of bed and meandered over to his open trunk, grabbing a pair of black pants and an equally black shirt, before heading into the vile looking bathroom. He set his clothes on the counter and turned the dial on the shower to turn on the flow of water. Once he pulled off his clothes from the night before, he stepped into the shower, ignoring the blackish looking mold forming on the ceiling.

When he left the bathroom twenty minutes later, he deposited his dirty clothes in his trunk before noticing that Severus was leaning against the far wall.

"What are you doing here, Snape?" Lucius asked, crossly. Severus pushed himself off the wall and strode over to Lucius,

"I talked to Dumbledore," he told him.

"And yet I don't see this reason enough for a visit from you," Lucius snapped, glaring at Snape with annoyance.

"That's not all, my friend, you see, I also spoke with the Dark Lord," Severus smirked when he saw that Lucius noticeably tensed, "he wasn't at all pleased to hear about how poorly you are doing with your mission, so he sent me to tell you--or warn you perhaps, that if you don't find the girl by tonight, I will be taking over the assignment."

"I didn't know that you so badly wished to get your hands on the Mudblood, Snape," Lucius mocked, "if you were to get the assignment, I doubt the two of you would ever leave the bedroom."

"Highly tactless of you to say, Lucius, this is just a mission, nothing more."

"Yes, it is _my_ mission, and I would appreciate it if you don't try and take it from me."

"It is the Dark Lord's wishes that I take over the assignment if you don't have the girl by midnight tonight."

Lucius' lip curled in displeasure, "Well, then I shall find her by then. Now, what did Dumbledore tell you?"

"She's living in an apartment complex not too far from here," Severus stated, "it's across the street from a bookstore, and I'd hurry if I were you." With that, Severus disappeared.

Lucius pulled on his shoes and cloak before grabbing his wand and heading out of his hotel room. He ambled purposefully down the hall and out onto the sidewalk, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sun compared to the dim lights of the lobby. Since he thought he remembered seeing a bookstore a few blocks to the right, he started in that direction, knowing that he couldn't properly Apparate without the exact location in mind.

* * *

But he was right, he found out a few moments later, seeing a sign with a book on it right across the street from an apartment building that looked shabbier than his hotel. He was about to over to the apartment when he thought of something. _The bookstore_, he thought, smirking as he realized how Snape had been trying to trick him, but luckily the man had failed miserably. Lucius entered the little bookstore, looking at the bookcases full of books, the cheery looking cashier and finally, the back corner, where he saw that tables had been set up and only one was occupied. _Perfect_. He strode noiselessly over to the back, placing a silencing spell over the area just in case the girl was unwise enough to try and cross him.

She was sitting in a normal desk chair, a thick red book sitting on the table in front of her. Her head was inclined slightly downward to read, just enough so that she didn't see his approach, even though she was facing in his direction. She had her curly brown hair pulled back into a bun, and she was wearing ordinary Muggle clothes; jeans and a long sleeved brown sweater. Lucius assessed her, trying to see where her wand was hidden, for surely she wasn't naïve enough to walk around without one, but at a distance he couldn't see it. When he reached her table, he pulled the chair opposite hers out a little, sitting down just as she glanced up.

"Miss Granger," he said, smoothly, smirking as she tried to grab for her wand, "happy to see me?"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back! New book for me! Did you realize he was looking for Hermione? You must have, it was in the summary, and there was hints in it to, if you found them then you win a cookie! I've never written in Lucius' point of view before, it was interesting. Kind of hard too, I wanted it to be in character, and I wanted him to be as dark as he was in the books. Well, it's only the first chapter, I'll get better. Oh, by the way, I haven't given up on What's the Lure of the Dark Side, in fact, I'm finishing that chapter up right now.


	2. Enlighten Me

**Chapter Two**

"Oh, I seem to have shocked you into silence? This isn't a feat that occurs every day, I assume."

"H-how did you find me?" Hermione stuttered, frantically searching through her pockets for her wand without taking her eyes off of his.

"_Accio_ wand," he said smoothly, smirking as her only form of protection flew from her bag and into his grasp, "Now that I know you're not going to try and do something incredibly foolish, shall we continue?"

"I think I'll pass," Hermione replied, regaining her courage as she stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, before attempting to walk past him. Quickly, he got to his feet and seized her violently by the wrist. She was forced involuntarily backwards, almost losing her balance until she was steadied by making contact with the wall. He smirked at her wince, then slowly moved forward, closing the space between them.

"Don't make this difficult," Lucius threatened, his face near enough to her ear that she could hear his intimidating whispers very clearly.

"Difficult," Hermione scoffed, feigning bravery even as she shuddered at his proximity, "Give me back my wand and you'll see just how_ difficult_ I can be."

Lucius glanced at her, as though just a piercing once-over would give him all the information he'd need about her magical abilities. He didn't look impressed.

"You wouldn't fare well against me, my dear," Lucius declared, "most mudbloods don't."

"Just let me go, Malfoy," she plead, realizing how dire the situation could become.

"Desperate enough to beg, now this was the part I've been most anxious for," he goaded, running a single finger down her jawbone, causing her to shiver and try to unsuccessfully wrench away. Lucius glowered at her condescendingly, an amused smirk playing on his thin lips as Hermione stared up into his ice blue eyes, beseeching him without words to show some emotion, to let her go. Asking Lucius Malfoy to show compassion, how naïve could you be?

"What do you need me for, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, using this feeble distraction to search for any way to escape. A pointless search, as the bookstore was completely empty and the shopkeeper was unaware of the events taking place in the back of her store.

"You'll find out soon enough, Mudblood," he mocked, "now, there's two ways that we can do this. The first is that you come with me, calmly and without a problem, or the second is I can torture you into unconsciousness and take you using that tactic. Let me just make it clear that the only way you're leaving this store is with me. So stop," Lucius cautioned, narrowing his eyes as he noted her search, "trying to find a way out."

"You're completely insane if you think I'm going to go _anywhere_ with you willingly," Hermione snarled.

"Excellent," Lucius smirked, "I have always found the torture route a lot more…_satisfying_. And a considerably more exhilarating experience."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply with a scathing comment, but was interrupted by Lucius, "_Crucio_."

Hermione let out a disappointingly short scream, though Lucius was pleased when she collapsed onto the floor, writhing for a few moments before going completely motionless.

"That al-all you got, Mal-Malfoy?" Hermione criticized, weakly.

"You know," he stated conversationally, "you should consider yourself lucky. Just one more day, and Snape would have been the one after you. And unlike myself, he doesn't find back-talking women as amusing. _Crucio_," he repeated, watching as Hermione thrashed around on the wooden floor, her scream much louder this time.

"In fact, it seems that he wants to get his hands on you. I haven't a clue why. _Crucio_."

He watched as her mouth stayed open, like she was screaming only he heard no sound. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he leaned over her immobile body before whispering,

"Are you ready to come quietly?"

All she could manage was a quiet moan, before her eyes slipped closed. Lucius shook his head and smirked as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his grasp by hooking his other arm under her knees. He strode toward the exit, glancing over at the bookkeeper's expression; she was staring at him in a mix of confusion and worry, but at the same time awe at his appearance.

"She's been tired lately," he said, as an explanation, "fell asleep while reading, poor thing." He knew that she had fallen for his excuse, and he left the store with a smirk. Lucius knew that he would get even more strange looks if he carried the girl throughout the crowds, so he quickly turned onto an empty street and within a moment, he was back in his hotel room and was placing Hermione Granger on a chair. With a flick of his wand, ropes enclosed her body, securing her tightly. While he waited for her to regain consciousness, he roamed around the room, collecting the few belongings he had with him and as he was throwing it all back into the trunk, there was a groan from behind him.

"Ah, Miss Granger, you're awake," he turned to face her, "that's good, I was getting a little tired of waiting."

"Where the hell are we, Malfoy?"

"Nowhere that concerns you, as we'll be leaving shortly," he replied, as he used a charm to shrink his trunk to fit in his pocket, then paced over to the girl, clenching her wrist in his hand before they Apparated away.

When they appeared, they were in a dark room; it was small, with a low ceiling---probably only around seven feet tall. There was nothing in the entire room that wasn't made of stone, with the exception of iron chains that were hanging all over the walls, used to chain disobedient prisoners until they cooperated. The only light in the room came from a single dim light bulb that was flickering constantly. Lucius dragged Hermione over to the chains and as she was still weak from the recent torture, it was even easier then it had been before. Hermione cried out as he yanked her wrist up to the highest chain, clamping it into place before working on the next arm. Once she was completely trapped against the wall, Lucius stepped back and glared at her while she struggled against her bonds,

"Get comfortable, Granger," he sneered, "you'll be up there for a while."

He turned around and stalked out of the room, the door closing with a click, then started striding down the stone corridor with a smirk. Now that his mission was completed, he could alert the Dark Lord, and he was also very interested in finding out why it had been so important to find Hermione Granger. As he walked out of the dungeon, he headed straight to the front door, where someone would surely be keeping watch.

"Bellatrix," he greeted, stopping in front of her.

"Hello Lucius. I hear you've almost lost your assignment to Severus."

"Severus will have to get his own missions instead of trying to pilfer mine. The girl's in the dungeon," Lucius smirked.

"The Dark Lord will be pleased. Have you contacted him?"

"I was just about to actually," Lucius paused before speaking again, "I was hoping that you could go down and _watch_ the Mudblood."

"My pleasure," she smirked, before striding towards the door he had just came through. Lucius put the tip of his wand on the Dark Mark, saying a few words in Latin that would summon the Dark Lord to the Manor.

The Malfoy Manor was actually the headquarters for the Death Eaters, though its only use was to hold prisoners and host meetings. Lucius and the rest of his family were the only ones living there, unless a fellow Death Eater was on the run, and of course, whoever was guarding the entrance at the time. It was hidden, not only by multiple charms but also by the fact that it was in the middle of a vast forest filled with numerous creatures that would kill anyone who tried to pass through. Since it was impossible to Apparate straight to the house unless you were a Death Eater, the only ones who would dare try traveling through the forest would be their enemies, which is where the creatures came in.

"Lucius," came a voice from behind him. Lucius turned slowly and saw the Dark Lord standing before him. He bowed quickly, waiting for the words, "Rise,"

"My Lord," Lucius started, "I have the Granger girl in the dungeons, waiting for you."

"Ah, yes, and I think it past time that I introduce myself," the Dark Lord hissed, his red eyes glinting in anticipation, "Come."

Lucius followed the Dark Lord down flights of stairs until the Mudblood's screams became louder. Obviously Bellatrix was doing her job justice.

"Bellatrix seems to have beaten us down here," the Dark Lord commented as he unlocked the cell where the screaming was coming from.

"My Lord," Bellatrix greeted when she saw him, turning to bow.

"Back to your duties, Bellatrix," the Dark Lord ordered, gesturing towards the door.

"Yes, my Lord," she obliged, heading towards the exit.

Lucius stood a few feet behind his Lord and waited.

"Hermione Granger," the Dark Lord taunted, a smirk on his thin lips, "it's a pleasure, really. I've been waiting to meet your acquaintance for quite a while."

"I can't s-say the same to you," Hermione coughed, blood from her mouth landing on the stone ground.

"Manners, Miss Granger," the Dark Lord reminded, "After all, I've been so kind to you."

"You've a twisted definition of 'kind,' then."

"_Crucio_," he said, as though he was just speaking to her. Granger's screams were louder now, than they had been with Lucius or Bellatrix. The Dark Lord sneered at the girl until she became silent again.

"I bet you're wondering why you're here," he asked, "Well, you see, I've been wondering for a while now what the perfect way to bring down Harry Potter, and you, dear girl, are a key component."

"Go," she took a breath, "to hell."

"Lucius," the Dark Lord turned to him, "didn't I warn the girl about manners?"

"You did, my Lord." Lucius remarked.

"Question," Hermione scoffed, regaining her strength, "do you _always_ agree with whatever he says, Malfoy? Way to show some backbone."

The Dark Lord didn't curse her this time, he simply looked amused, and glanced at Lucius to see his reaction.

"I don't believe you're in the position to saying such things, Mudblood," Lucius said quietly, but equally as threatening. Nodding in agreement, the Dark Lord continued,

"So, do you want to know why you are here?"

"Enlighten me, _Tom_," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.


	3. Anymore Objections?

**Chapter Three**

"Leave us, Lucius," the Dark Lord commanded, gesturing towards the door with his narrowed eyes. Lucius nodded, and walked briskly to the door. The second the door closed behind, he heard a click of the lock before Hermione started to scream. With a weary sign, Lucius leaned back against the stone wall, waiting for the Dark Lord to be done with the girl. Since he was the one who brought in the Mudblood, he was in charge of taking her back and forth from the torture room to the room she was to stay in.

Around twenty minutes later, the screaming died down and the door swung open. The Dark Lord ambled past, pausing briefly to turn to Lucius, "Good, Lucius, very good. I'll speak to you about the rest of your mission at the next meeting."

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied, bowing before the Dark Lord vanished with a pop.

Lucius sauntered into the room, and saw Hermione Granger's bleeding body, limp in her chains. Sneering, Lucius stopped in front of the girl, unchaining her and letting her plummet to the floor.

He stooped over to pick her up, ignoring the blood that immediately soaked onto his shirt, and walked quietly from the room.

His footsteps echoed as he walked deeper into the dungeon, knowing that the farther away she was from the exit, the less likely it was that she would be able to get away if trying to escape. Once he found a sufficient cell, he struggled to pull out his wand while not losing grip on the girl, and when he succeeded, he opened the door with a click, then stepped inside.

This cell was a particularly nasty one, small and dirty, with only a thin blood-stained mattress for a bed, and by the sound of it, there were at least a few rats that would be sharing the room. Lucius dropped Hermione crudely onto the mattress, before striding out of the room.

As he walked through his house towards his bedroom, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he had finished his mission before Snape could commandeer it. In fact, he couldn't wait to see the look on Severus's face when he found out. Smirking at the thought, Lucius pushed open his bedroom door, noting carelessly that Narcissa was sleeping soundly. Not concerned about the amount of noise he was making, he headed to the bedside table, setting the shrunken trunk on it before unbuttoning and peeling off the bloodied shirt. He grasped the sheets and pulled them down enough to slip into bed.

"Lucius?" Narcissa murmured, blearily, as she turned to face him. He leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"Yes," he whispered back, settling onto his pillow.

"I missed you," she admitted, shifting herself until they were only inches apart.

"Hmm?" Lucius replied, vaguely, breathing deeply as Narcissa rolled over. He pulled her to his chest, and was about to bring his hand back to his side when Narcissa grasped it and held it close.

Lucius fell into a better sleep than he had in weeks, wondering what exactly the next part of his mission was.

At around seven o'clock the next evening, Lucius had been working in his office when a pain raged through his left forearm. The Dark Lord was calling a meeting.

Just as Lucius was stepping into the meeting room, numerous popping noises were heard as people began to appear standing next to their seats. Lucius took his seat near the head of the table, across from Bellatrix. More people began sitting down before finally there was one last click.

The Dark Lord strode towards his chair, his black cloak whipping behind him, "Hello my servants," he addressed the group, taking his seat, "We have many topics to discuss."

Everyone in the room sat complete attention, their faces turned towards their leader.

"First I would like to applaud Lucius for bringing in his captive. Hermione Granger is in the farthest cell in the dungeon, and I'd recommend that some of you go down to give her a proper _welcome_. Also I'd like to recognize that Severus was the one who successfully got the information of the girl's whereabouts from that trustworthy fool, Dumbledore."

Lucius glanced a little further down the table to where Snape was seated. The second the two men caught each other's eyes, they looked away in anger.

"What we first need to discuss is the initiation of the next generation of Death Eaters. The following members should bring their sons or daughters to our next meeting. Goyle, Crabbe, Zabini, Parkinson, Malfoy--"

"NO!" Narcissa cried, her eyes watering slightly, before looking around and realizing she had spoken aloud. She raised a shaking hand to her mouth, avoiding the intensely angry glance of the Dark Lord. Lucius cursed mentally at the stupidity of his wife's actions, while wondering what the repercussions would be.

The room remained silent and the Dark Lord's glare at Narcissa never wavered until he finally spoke.

"I see," the Dark Lord hissed, looking around at his followers, obviously having just read Narcissa's mind, "Narcissa doesn't want her son to join us. Why is that, do you think, Lucius?"

"I wouldn't know, my Lord," he answered, not daring to even glance at his wife, "any time we spoke of it, she didn't breathe a word against it."

"Hmm," the Dark Lord paused, his gaze resting on Bellatrix, "what do you think about this, Bellatrix?"

She avoided her sister's eyes just as Lucius had, "I would be honored to have the opportunity to give my son to you as a servant, my Lord, I don't know why my sister would feel any differently."

"Yes," the Dark Lord hissed, "so now Narcissa, how about you to us why you would go against a direct order? Do you believe our side won't be victorious? Is that why you don't want him involved?"

"I…m-my Lord, it's not that I don't believe in the c-cause, it's more that--"

"Save your lies," he ordered, "she believes our loss is inevitable. It seems she was even thinking of going to the Order for protection."

"I s-swear, my Lord, I would n-never go to the Order."

"Personally, I feel no use for someone ready to betray us at any moment. _Avada Kedavra_."

Instantly, Lucius flicked his eyes towards his wife--late wife, now, he supposed, and saw still in exactly the same position as she had been while living. Her eyes, now blank and unblinking, were still staring at her husband, the last person she had seen.

"Wormtail, dispose of her," the Dark Lord instructed, "Lucius, I had relieved you of a burden."

"Thank you, my Lord," Lucius replied, watching Wormtail levitating his late wife's body out of the room.

"Now to continue. At the next meeting, your children will get their task. Once it is completed, they will receive their Marks. Are there any more _objections_?" the Dark Lord asked, pointedly.

"No, my Lord," everyone replied, almost in unison.

"Very good, that is all. Lucius," he gestured toward the door, "follow."

Lucius got to his feet, following his Master through the hallways of his house until they reached Lucius' study. Once they entered the dim room, the Dark Lord sat in Lucius' desk chair, watching Lucius before beginning to speak, "As you are aware, obtaining Granger was only the first part of your mission. Well, now that she is here, you must finish it."

"What am I to do, my Lord? Kill her?" He wondered, not expecting the answer he would receive.

"Oh no, no she's too vital to kill. You need to convince her to join our side."

"Her? A _Mudblood_?"

"It seems as though you're questioning my motives, Lucius." The Dark Lord coded.

"No, never, my Lord, I'm just curious as to what a Mudblood could do to help us."

"Her vast amounts of knowledge would be of help to us, as would her connections in the Order. It's your job to convince her to betray them, I don't care how you do it. Seduce her, befriend her, whichever you feel necessary, just get it done."


	4. Keeping It Civil

**Chapter Four**

The Dark Lord swept from the room, leaving Lucius utterly astonished. For a few moments, Lucius couldn't move, his Lord's last words circling in his head: '_Seduce her, befriend her … just get it done._' His eyes focused in on crackling fire, as he brooded over his choices. Neither of them thrilled him exactly, he would much rather torture her into submission, but he would just have faith in his Lord's decision to keep the girl alive, and concentrate on gaining her trust. Lucius closed his eyes briefly, exhaled a deep breath as he formulated the beginning of his plan, and then stood up. He'd start by her quarters, moving her into one of the Malfoy Manor's nicest guest rooms, then work gradually until she _fell_ for his charm. Sickened at the thought of it, he hurried out of his study and down a hidden staircase that led straight to the dungeons.

As he approached her cell, he could hear her frustrated groans and the whispered attempts of wandless magic. _There's no way that Mudblood wench could perform magic wandless_, he assured himself, _she shouldn't even have magic to begin with._ He pulled open the door, hiding a smirk as the girl spun around to face him, unintentionally backing up against the wall.

"Nothing to fear, Miss Granger," Lucius said smoothly, "I'm simply here to move you to your new lodgings."

Granger's eyes flickered with suspicion, "What, better than these?" She replied, sarcastically.

"Hilarious," Lucius shot back, "Come." He strode up to her, taking her loosely by her arm and leading her out of the room. Herding Hermione towards the secret staircase, he struggled to make sure his grip wasn't too tight. Neither of them spoke until they reached her new room; one only a few doors down from Lucius'.

"Here we are," he told her, pushing open the door with his free hand. He lightly pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them. Lucius didn't miss her awed expression as she gazed around her lavish room. It was completely decorated in silver and green, a king size bed sat at the far wall, with large windows on either side of the bed, looking down over the Manor's sprawling grounds and in the distance a forest was visible. At another corner of the room there was an unlit fireplace, with two green armchairs surrounding it.

"Bathroom's there," he pointed at one door, "closet's there. There is protection on this room; you cannot harm yourself or anyone else with any sort of object--."

"Why would I harm _myself_?" Hermione shook her head, "That's ridiculous."

A _Crucio _was moments from escaping his lips, but he kept his mouth shut until his anger started to subside.

"This door will not be locked, and you're welcome into any rooms in the house except for my study," he continued, noting that Hermione was now curiously wandering around her room, "but you will not be able to leave the grounds. I wouldn't even try it if I was you, the spells to keep prisono--guests at the Manor are very strong ones."

"Guests?" She scoffed, "I'd hardly call myself a guest."

"I'm going to ignore that comment," he replied, "Breakfast is promptly at 8:00, you are welcome to attend, though frequently my _friends_ are there, and though I can promise you will be in no harm, I cannot say with complete certainty that you will be respected or treated well, however I will try to keep it civil," Hermione nodded, looking kind of shocked at his almost kind demeanor, "Lunch is at noon, and dinner at 7:00," he glanced at his watch, "It's already around 10:00, so good night. My room is only two doors down if you need me."

"Thank you…?" Hermione replied, shock still noticeable on her face. Lucius nodded curtly and strode quickly out of the room, glancing behind him to see Hermione ambling over to her closet, which had already been stocked with clothes.

* * *

Only moments later, Lucius was stripping down to his boxers and slipping into a bed that his wife had been sleeping in only twenty-four hours ago.

* * *

At exactly 8:00, Lucius strode into the kitchen, seeing his sister-in-law Bellatrix, along with her husband. Crabbe Senior and Goyle Senior were also present with both of their sons and surprisingly enough, Severus was there. Lucius stepped over to Snape; who was currently watching Hermione Granger; she was seated across from him and a few down.

"I didn't get a chance to congratulate you last night about your…capture," Severus began, his gaze never leaving the girl, "I assume you've received word on the _rest_ of your assignment?"

"Though I'm not sure how it's any of your business, yes, I'm aware of what I need to do."

Severus nodded, offhandedly, "And are you alright with that? If you're not, I'm sure the Dark Lord wouldn't mind handing the assignment off to me."

"Why do you want to seduce the Mudblood so badly, Severus?" Lucius snapped, quietly enough that Granger wouldn't hear, "Do you _want_ to have _relations_ with that girl? Because if you do, arrange it with the Dark Lord. You certainly don't need a mission to bed the girl; she's completely under our will."

"Are you _serious_?" Snape replied, looking slightly tempted but mostly shocked, "that would be unbelievably bad for your assignment, and she'd never--"

"Actually," Lucius smirked, a plan coming to mind, "I think there's a way for both of us to get what we need…"

* * *

Once breakfast had ended, Lucius watched Granger walk from the room, and knew that she would be going back to her room, probably still too uncomfortable to venture about the mansion alone. With a nod to Severus, Lucius also saw Snape follow the girl, again up to her room. He followed soon behind; having to make sure the job was done right.

Lucius got there right on time, just as the door shut behind Severus, "Hello," he heard Snape say. Moments later, he heard the sounds of struggling, and a muffled scream.

"What are you doing?" The Mudblood shrieked, and Lucius had to figure that she was pinned to the bed by now. _Severus works fast_, Lucius thought, when he heard grunts and moans coming from Snape, and still muffled screams from Granger, "Why…are you doing this?" She whispered, as Severus let out a particularly pleasured moan.

"Oh, there'll be more where this came from, Granger," Snape assured, cruelly, "Remember where you are right now. Your life doesn't even belong to you anymore. We can take what we want from you, and if Potter ever finds you, we'll make sure all he finds is an empty shell of a girl, or better yet, maybe he'll find a corpse. It all depends," Lucius could only assume that he was kissing her now, "on how well," another kiss, he'd guess, "you cooperate. Keep in mind your place here. You're nothing, Mudblood, nothing, unless we ask you to be." A few moments passed, before the door swung open. Lucius dodged out of the way, careful to make sure Granger hadn't seen him.

"Have fun?" Lucius asked, mockingly, low enough so he wouldn't be heard.

"You have no idea," he replied, "Even when she's fighting it, she's very… good. How many more go's do I get with her before you 'catch' me in the act?"

Lucius shook his head in disbelief, "Tonight, after dinner. I'll interrupt about half-way through. Let's make it seem believable, shall we?"

"Always, Lucius," Severus smirked, "always."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Man, I'm queen of the short chapters tonight. My chapter for _What's the Lure of the Dark Side_ was also ridiculously short, but I guess for different reasons. I just really wanted to leave off on a cliffhanger here, plus it's 3am and I'm tired. Good excuse, huh? Anyhow, I'll try to keep the updates coming faster now that it's almost summer. Three more days of exams, and I'm free. Wish me luck :D


	5. Unacceptable Behavior

**Chapter Five**

When dinner came along, Lucius wasn't surprised when the Mudblood was not in attendance. He suspected that she thought Snape would be there, so she figured she'd avoid him. She was just as predictable as any woman he'd ever known. Smirking, he focused back in on his meal, eating slowly as he waited for the meal to come to a close. The faster he completed this mission, the better; and Lucius had not gotten very far. Moments later, Severus shot out of his chair and left the room, nodding at Lucius before he exited. To give Severus enough time to get to Granger's room, Lucius finished his dinner before going into the kitchens to grab a plate of mashed potatoes and steak. By the time he reached her room, he could hear Severus taunting her.

"Did you really think not coming to dinner was going to stop me from finding you? You're supposed to be smart," Snape mocked. She didn't reply, so Snape continued, "Why do you keep looking at the door? No one's going to save you. You're a _prisoner_, and I'm just helping you remember that."

Preparing himself, Lucius took a deep breath, before knocking on the door. He heard Snape curse quietly, and opened the door. Hermione was bound, in only her underwear, to the bed, with Severus standing over her. Lucius pretended to look shocked, and dropped the plate of food on the floor.

"Snape," he said angrily, stalked up to him, "I told you multiple times. She is to be treated as a _guest. _You were to stay _away_ from her." He accidentally glanced over at her, and his gaze held as he took in her exposed body. He pulled his eyes away before she could notice him looking. That would not be good for the plan.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want to do with her, and you can't do anything to stop it." Snape spat, smirking.

"This is _my_ house, Snape," Lucius hissed, looking murderous, "If you touch her again," he pushed Severus toward the door, "you will regret it." With that he slammed the door shut, hiding his triumph as he turned back toward the girl. He flicked his wand and her bonds were released. Then he looked away, "You can get dressed," he told her, keeping his eyes away to make her respect for him grow.

"Thank you," she whispered. As she dressed, Lucius leaned over to where he had dropped the plate. The mashed potatoes had splattered onto the carpet, and some had spattered onto his black pants, "You brought me food?" She asked, startled.

"Well, yes," he admitted, turning around, "You weren't at dinner."

"I was avoiding Snape," she told him.

"You mean this isn't the first time?" He asked, feigning surprise.

"No," she said quietly, "he came after breakfast. I was worried he would come after lunch, but he didn't."

"He wasn't here for lunch," Lucius replied, "_Scourgify_. Well, there goes your dinner," he sighed, and with a glance over at her, he knew that his acting abilities were greater than he realized. He was about to call a house elf when he remembered: Draco had said she encouraged house elf rights. So making one do his bidding would hardly help him, "I'll be back with another plate," he promised. He didn't have to look back to know that she was watching him leave.

The moment he was out of Granger's earshot, he called one of his house elves.

"A plate of mashed potatoes and steak," he snapped, "Now." The house elf disappeared with a scared squeak,

"Yes, Master Malfoy." Only moments later the elf appeared again, carrying a plate in his shaking hand. Lucius snatched the meal from the elf, and headed back to the girl.

"Dinner is served," he announced, as he walked into the room. Granger was sitting against the wall on her bed, her knees drawn up to her face with her chin resting on them. She only glanced at him briefly before continuing to stare hopelessly out a window. He placed the plate on one of the bedside tables, before sitting down next to her.

"Thank you," she whispered, without making eye contact. He nodded vaguely, and as he tried to figure exactly what he should do next, she spoke again, "Why did you stop him?"

"Pardon?" He asked, too deep in thought to hear her question.

"Why did you stop Snape?" She said, louder this time.

"Well," he started, confused, "why wouldn't I have? He was assaulting you. It was unacceptable behavior, and not something I will allow to happen in my house."

"Oh," she nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Hey," he said quietly, bringing his hand to her face, and moving it gently until she was looking directly at him, "I'm sorry you have to be here, but I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again." Another tear left her eye, but he brushed it away tenderly with his thumb.

"You didn't seem to care so much when you were torturing me just days ago!" She spat, moving away from his hand, "Or when you forced me to come here, or chained me to the wall! Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you're _sorry_?"

"I--" Lucius started, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"Well I don't believe it. There's no reason for me to trust a single _word_ that you say."

"Weasley turned you over to us," he said, saying the first idea that came to mind, "He told us exactly where you were."

Her head snapped toward him, glaring defiantly at him, her eyes burning in anger, "_Why_ would I believe that?'

"How else do you think we found you so easily? You could have been anywhere, _anywhere_, and you think I just, what, guessed right? No. We weren't even torturing him. He had just been captured, and before we even alerted the Dark Lord, he told us. Begged actually, to take you instead of him."

She didn't respond, she didn't even move.

"It's quite alright though, because we wanted you more," he told her, "The more useful of the group. You see, we're missing something, and the Dark Lord believes that we need your brains to win the war. That's why you're here. So, what do you make of this opportunity?"

"I--I don't know," she finally replied, "Why don't you try and convince me?"

_That easy_, he wondered, _it can't be. One lie and she's ready to jump to our side? _

"Alright," he agreed, "Fair enough. You've got no reason to go back to the Order. Ron betrayed you, the whole Order betrayed you. They all know the reason Weasley's now free, but they didn't even get upset with him for it. Didn't even blink an eye. That enough proves they don't care about you. They didn't mind that you were captured. So wouldn't it be exactly what they deserve to see you on our side? To let them know that you're aware they left you to die, and show them what a substantial mistake they made when letting you go? Come on, Hermione. It's what they deserve."

There was a long silence before Hermione mumbled something under her breath.

"I didn't quite catch that," Lucius told her.

"Okay," she whispered, "I'll do it."

* * *

Author's Note: One lazy boring snow day and I realize…when, oh_ when_ was the last time I updated? So I check. I haven't updated this one since.. MAY! Isn't that unbelievable? I'm so sorry! This chapter isn't that good anyways, but.. I don't know. I'm kind of stuck. I know how I'm ending it, I've got it all planned out. Now I just need to figure out the middle. Anyways. Sorry about the shortness and lameness of this chapter, but I thought an update in ..seven months is better than nothing.

Oh, and I don't own anything.


	6. You Win

Disclaimer:

I don't own anything.

**A/N:** Merry Christmas **/** Happy holidays! This is my present to everyone who must hate me because of my practically nonexistent updating. I'll give you a hint on your next two presents: updates on my other two stories, hopefully done tonight! Your welcome. (:

Thanks to **voldyismyfather**, **ness171990**, **rebecca g**, **LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL**, **sjrodgers108**, and **jessirose85** for reviewing. (:

* * *

Chapter Six

"Did--did I just hear you right?" Lucius asked her, skeptically.

"You seem surprised," Granger smirked, confusing him further with her sudden confidence, "Should I rethink my decision then?"

"Um," Lucius shook his head, still thrown from her willingness to switch sides, "No, no, you--you definitely shouldn't. Uh, okay. That's good, well.. we'll talk to the Dark Lord tomorrow about your initiation and.. that's it, so I'm going to go.. and I'll see you tomorrow." _Damn it, Lucius,_ he thought to himself, _you're acting like an idiot, pull it together._

Granger was looking at him like she thought he needed to be institutionalized, but the second he started backing toward the door, a flash of fear crossed her eyes.

"Actually," she started, biting her lip, "I was kind of ..wondering if maybe you could sleep in here tonight. I'm not entirely sure you scared Snape off to the point that he wouldn't come back the second you left.."

Lucius didn't know what it was with this girl, but she had managed to mystify him a number of times in a just a few minutes. _Well, it _will_ help my mission,_ he thought, and although the prospect of spending the night in a relatively small bed with a Mudblood kind of disgusted him, he knew that it needed to be done.

"Alright," he said, nodding in agreement, "I suppose you're right.. just in case." Lucius walked back over to her bed, sitting down awkwardly on the edge. He didn't know why this girl kept making him so flustered. Keeping his assignment in mind, he made polite conversation with her while she ate her dinner, and he found that although she was a Mudblood, she was surprisingly interesting to talk to, even though she did have an annoying habit of interrupting him in the middle of a sentence. When she was done eating, she reached past him and turned off the lamp, before nestling under the covers of the bed. Even though Lucius could no longer see her, he knew she was looking right at him.

"Are you going to.. sit there all night?"

"What? Oh. Of course not," he pulled his shoes and socks off, and considered taking off his shirt and pants like he would normally do, but decided against it and just crawled into bed next to her, making sure that they weren't touching. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, and while he did find it extraordinarily hard to do so, he did eventually manage to fall asleep.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, Lucius walked with Granger to meet with the Dark Lord and plan her initiation ceremony. He knew that before the Dark Lord would plan the ceremony, he would first have to be sure of the girl's loyalty. The Dark Lord would be _very_ unconvinced of her allegiance because of her abrupt change of heart, so he guessed that the Dark Lord would be using Veritaserum to ensure he wasn't gaining an untrustworthy follower. They walked in silence toward the Dark Lord's study, the only sound the echo of their footsteps and the pattering of rain on the roof. Lucius stopped walking just short of reaching the door, turned to Granger and began his next act,

"Okay, before we go in there, there are some things you need to know. Bow when I do. Don't speak unless He speaks directly to you. I _really_ would love to get in and out of there without Him torturing you, but He likes torturing people--anyone, so don't give Him a reason to. Alright?"

"It almost sounds like you _care_, Malfoy," Granger said, sarcastically, and Lucius chuckled, not knowing whether he was laughing because he thought she was funny or that she was falling for his act so easily. He knocked on the door, and immediately a voice replied, "Come in." Lucius opened the door, quickly turned back to Hermione and whispered,

"Remember.. bow!"

The Dark Lord's study was always about ten degrees colder than the rest of the house, even though a fire was always crackling in the hearth. Other than the fireplace, the only other source of light was a small table lamp on the Dark Lord's desk. Lucius entered the room and Granger followed quietly behind him, and the door shut with a click. He walked up to the desk, bowed low, hoping Granger was bright enough to do the same. She mimicked the bow, and both of them waited for a "Rise" before taking a seat in the chairs across from the desk.

"You requested this meeting, Lucius," the Dark Lord hissed, "may I enquire as to the reason?"

"My Lord," Lucius started, "Miss Granger, here, has something she would like to tell you."

"And what is that, Miss Granger?"

Granger cleared her throat and then replied," I would like to join your side," she glanced at Lucius and at his look quickly added, "sir."

"Well, I can't say that that's what I expected to here." the Dark Lord said, "since you adamantly refused when you were asked earlier. It is because of this doubt that I have one request," He shuffled through the desk drawers for a moment before pulling out a bottle, "This, as you probably know, is Veritaserum. Drink it and if your answers are the right ones, you can join us."

"Okay," Granger replied, without a moment's hesitation. The Dark Lord uncorked the bottle and handed it over to her, watching her curiously as she drank it all down quickly, like a shot. The Dark Lord waited a moment, and then began,

"What is your name?"

"Hermione Anne Granger."

"Who are you?"

"I am one of Harry Potter's best friends and a Muggleborn."

"Is your devotion to our cause true or are you simply trying to join us to spy for Harry Potter?"

"It's true."

"Why?"

"Ron betrayed me. He sold me out to save himself and no one even cared."

The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes and glanced at Lucius, silently asking him if this was a lie he had fed her. Lucius nodded almost imperceptibly, and without hesitation, the Dark Lord looked into his mind and watched for himself.

"Do you honestly believe that that is the truth: that they all betrayed you?" The Dark Lord asked, when he was finished watching the memory.

"I do."

"And you will fight _against_ your former friends in battle?"

"In a heartbeat."

"And you will share with us your knowledge from the Order to help our side?"

"Of course."

"And you will bear the Dark Mark in representation of your allegiance?"

There are a slight hesitation before she answered, one that did not go unnoticed by the Dark Lord or Lucius,

"Yes."

"Alright. Your initiation ceremony will be tonight. It is almost a shame that Narcissa is not here, Lucius, she was always the best at planning these events. Ah well, a house elf can do just as well," the Dark Lord snapped his fingers once and a house elf appeared immediately,

"Yes, sir?" He asked, in a quavering voice.

"There is to be an initiation ceremony tonight, elf. I need you to plan it at once. You know what needs to be done, as you have seen these events in the past. Get going."

The elf disappeared again, and the Dark Lord turned his gaze back to Hermione.

"Step outside, please. I need to speak to Lucius alone."

Granger nodded, stood up and glanced at Lucius, who mouthed the word "bow." She quickly bowed, and then exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"So, Lucius," the Dark Lord began, "do you believe your mission is going well?"

"Yes, milord," he replied, "Snape and I had a plan to help me become sort of her savior and her trust for me has improved significantly since then."

"Indeed.. Snape told me of this.. arrangement. He seemed pleased."

"He appears to be kind of enthralled by the girl," Lucius agreed, "I found a way to make that work for both of us."

"Good," the Dark Lord nodded, "that's all for now. I will see you tonight at seven." Lucius stood swiftly, bowed low and then left the room. Hermione was waiting right outside, leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Well," Lucius said, "the initiation starts at 7:00 and I need to make sure you're prepared."

"Prepared.. how?" Granger asked, suspiciously.

"_Prepared how?_" Lucius mimicked, with a grin, "every single Death Eater will be at this ceremony, and if you don't know every one of their names, they will be _very_ offended. You want to make a good first impression, don't you?"

"You underestimate me, Malfoy." Hermione smirked, "I bet you I know the names of more Death Eaters than you do!"

"You're really going to make this bet?" Lucius asked, incredulously, "_I'm_ a Death Eater, and have been for years, and you think that _you_ know more of _my_ people's names than _I_ do?"

"That happens to be exactly what I'm saying, Mr. Malfoy," Granger said, with a smile.

"Alright, fine," Lucius exclaimed, "The person who remembers the most names tonight gets.."

They were both silent for a moment, unable to decide what the reward should be for the accomplishment.

"We'll determine the prize later," Hermione decided.

Lucius nodded in agreement, "So now we have a free day. What would you like to do?"

Hermione thought for a moment, "Give me a tour," she told him, "or else I'm going to be getting very lost _all_ the time."

* * *

At exactly seven o'clock, all of the Death Eaters were seated in the dining hall, the table pushed aside and replaced with a small stage, and all of the chairs were positioned to face the stage. Lucius was seated next to Bellatrix in the front row, and he was staring at Hermione, who was standing nervously on the stage. The Dark Lord had just stepped into the room, and everyone became silent as he glided up to her.

"Hello, my loyal followers," the Dark Lord began, turning to face his audience, "today we welcome Hermione Granger into our circle. And, I've decided that since we're here, we might as well induct in our second generation as well. Malfoy, Zabini, Goyle, Parkinson and Crabbe, please come up here." Lucius watched as his son and his sons' friends walked up to the stage, no one of them looking as anxious as Hermione, "Mr. Malfoy, you shall be first. Come," Draco moved so that he was closest to the Dark Lord, and smirked at his friends, "Do you, Draco Malfoy, pledge your devotion to our cause, and me as your Master?"

"I do, milord," Draco said, without a moment's hesitation.

"And do you swear that you will do all that you can to help us win this war and take over the wizarding world?"

"I do, my Lord," he replied.

"And do you take this Mark as a sign of your loyalty?"

"Of course, my Lord."

"Give me your arm, then, young Mr. Malfoy." The Dark Lord ordered, and Draco obeyed immediately. The Dark Lord put his wand to his son's arm, and quietly said a spell. Draco roared in pain, but Lucius could tell when his son was acting, and he was _definitely_ putting on a show to scare Granger, and everyone who knew his son would be able to tell. Hermione's eyes widened, and the second the Dark Lord raised his wand, Draco smirked and stepped back, looking proud.

The Dark Lord inducted all of the second generation members before finally ending with Hermione. After Draco's obvious show, his friends had used his idea to further scare Granger, and each one obviously did, because by the time it was her turn, she was noticeably shaking.

"Do you, Hermione Granger, pledge your devotion to our cause, and me as your Master?"

"I do, my Lord," Hermione said, her voice wavering slightly.

"And do you swear that you will do all that you can to help us win this war and take over the wizarding world?"

"I do, milord," she replied, sounding more sure of herself.

"And do you take this Mark as a sign of your loyalty?"

"Yes, I do, milord." She said, and put her arm out before the Dark Lord could even ask. He put his wand to her arm, and started the spell. Lucius could see that Hermione was holding her breath, but as she was now finding out, the Dark Mark hurt just about as badly as breaking a bone, and not nearly as painful as Draco had been making it look. She gasped quietly, but then it was over. Lucius chuckled, hoping his son realized that he just made himself look weaker than Granger.

"Now we will continue with our festivities to celebrate our new members." Just as the Dark Lord finished speaking, classical music began to play and a table in the corner filled with food. Lucius walked swiftly up to Hermione, who was still on the stage, staring at her Dark Mark.

"Dance with me," Lucius asked her, holding out his hand. Hermione looked at his hand, surprised, but then smiled,

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy," she said smoothly, "But first, let's start our bet, shall we?"

"I believe that we can do both," he assured her, as he grabbed her hand and headed to where other couples were dancing. He pulled her into his arms and they swayed slightly but didn't actually move all that much.

"Okay, Miss Granger," Lucius began, pointing at Bellatrix and the man with her, "Who are they?"

"Easy one, that's Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov."

"Hm. You're right, that was too easy," Lucius replied, taking Hermione by surprise by dipping her.

"Who's the man talking to Snape, then?" Hermione asked him.

"Easy. Avery. Who's the girl talking to my son?"

"Pansy Parkinson, did you really just ask me that? We went to school together for Merlin's sake. Who's that man talking to the woman who looks like she already had too much to drink?" Hermione asked.

"Where are you looking?" Lucius asked, scouting the room for someone who matched the description.

"Right there!" Hermione said, sounding exasperated. Lucius looked down at her, she smiled slightly and pressed her lips to his. He froze for a second, in shock, before responding and kissing her back. _Why is this mission so damn easy_, he wondered to himself. Granger broke the kiss, then raised her eyebrows, "Well? What's the guy's name?"

"You win," he told her, and kissed her again.

* * *

After their dance, Lucius went off to get some food, but was stopped by a House Elf.

"What do you want, elf?" He snapped, before glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Hermione wasn't listening to the conversation.

"Uh, M-Master Malfoy, Poppy found an.. an empty potion bottle in Miss Granger's room. It was under the bed."

"_What_?" Lucius asked, dumbfounded, "What potion was it, Poppy?"

"Poppy doesn't know, sir," the elf squeaked.

"Listen to me, this is _very_ important. _What_ potion was it?"


	7. The Final Battle Approaches

Chapter Seven

"It's nothing to worry about, Lucius," Snape assured him, as they stood together in their Potions room the next day, "I tested some remaining drops of the potion in the bottle myself, and it was a healing potion for her injuries. Someone must have slipped her one, but it isn't anything to worry about."

Lucius nodded slightly, "Alright, that is better than what I was assuming. I still will have to figure out who slipped her the healing potion without permission. Do you have any idea about who could have done it? Have you seen anyone near her room?"

"Actually," Severus paused, and Lucius noted a look in his eyes like he didn't know if he wanted to say anything, but continued anyway, "I saw Draco a few times in that corridor. He's the only one I've seen down there actually."

With another nod, Lucius turned and stalked out of the room in search of his son.

* * *

Over the next month, Lucius found himself very perplexed. Draco had admitted to giving Hermione the healing potion, and when Lucius went to the Dark Lord to tell him about it—a decision that had come from nights of restless sleep trying to decide if he really wanted to potentially get his son tortured for a relatively small act of deception, the Dark Lord hadn't even been upset. Lucius assumed that this was because Hermione was now a Death Eater herself, and so giving her a healing potion wasn't really a crime, but he had still expected the Dark Lord to be angry with Draco for not knowing his place.

Furthermore, Lucius had been spending more and more time with Hermione, and he was confused as to why he found her company so enjoyable. They had spent time together reading in his library, brewing Potions, walking the grounds; they had even had a picnic for lunch on a particularly nice day. They hadn't shared a kiss since that night at her initiation, but he had caught her staring at him multiple times when she thought he wasn't looking. Lucius knew that the Dark Lord was pleased with his progress with the girl, so much so that even though technically his assignment was over when he got her to join them, He had asked Lucius to be her mentor for the time being.

Lucius didn't know how he felt about the girl anymore, he couldn't figure out what she meant to him. She was more than just a Mudblood to him now, he knew that much—he had seen proof of her magical capabilities more than once. It was more than that though, he admitted to himself. He liked being around her, and when he wasn't with her, he wanted to be. He noticed all of her quirks, her habits, and he wasn't annoyed by them the way he usually was with people. He saw her beauty now, more subtle than the apparent beauty he was normally attracted to. Lucius didn't quite know what that meant, because he had never felt that way about a person before, not even Narcissa. Soon he would need to figure out why he was feeling this way about the girl, but for now he was just going to enjoy her company.

* * *

"The final battle will be soon," Lucius told Hermione, as they sat together outside, "the Dark Lord has told me that every day the Order's numbers rise. He thinks that Potter will be more easily defeated the sooner we strike, and he wants you to be at His side, as a final blow before the battle begins."

Hermione nodded, and Lucius could tell that she was thinking deeply. Not wanting to interrupt her thoughts, he sat there quietly, looking off at the lake, and began to wonder about the final battle. The Dark Lord had not gone into too many details at the meeting for the Inner Circle; he did not reveal the Order's numbers and that concerned Lucius greatly. He was beginning to think that they no longer had the upper hand.

"If it were up to me," he began, "I would want you as far from the Dark Lord's side as possible."

Hermione turned quickly to look at him, confusion written all over her face.

"What do you mean?"

He reached up and brushed a strand of curly hair out of her eyes.

"I mean that I want you as far from the danger as you can be. But the Dark Lord would not hear of it. He wants you with him."

Hermione took his hand, "I'll be fine. I'll be near you."

Without thinking, Lucius leaned forward, bringing his lips to hers. She responded immediately, but pulled away.

"What were you thinking about?" Lucius asked, "a few minutes ago?"

Biting her lip, Hermione replied,

"I was wondering how many people you've killed. How many you've tortured."

Lucius turned away.

"Why does that matter?" He snapped.

"I want to know everything about you." She said simply, "the good and the bad."

He didn't reply immediately, he didn't even turn to face her. But he could feel her gaze on him, and felt himself compelled to answer her.

"I've killed sixteen wizards and witches."

"And Muggles?" She asked, promptly.

Pausing, he thought for a moment, "Dozens. I don't know. More than twenty."

Hermione stayed silent for a moment and Lucius finally turned to look at her.

"Anything else?" She murmured.

"That isn't enough for you?" He said, softly.

She continued to stare at him until he answered.

"Yes, that's it."

She nodded briskly, and quickly changed the subject.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Lucius was taken aback—they hadn't slept in the same bed since the evening they had planned her attack with Snape. But he nodded his agreement and contemplated the events of that night.

"Let's go inside," Hermione suggested, standing up, "and I'm glad you told me."

* * *

Lucius slept better that night than he had in weeks, but was surprised to find that when he woke up Hermione was nowhere to be found. He dressed slowly, preparing for breakfast.

When he entered the dining room, he saw Hermione sitting at the table, next to Bellatrix and across from Draco. Lucius passed Snape exiting and nodded a hello before sitting down next to his son. But before he could even say a word, his arm burned as the Dark Lord called him. Looking around he saw that Hermione and Draco were experiencing the same pain, and knew what was going on. The Dark Lord was calling a meeting.

Within a few moments, sounds of Apparation were heard, and his fellow Death Eaters appeared. He nodded in hello to a few, before waving at a house elf to clear the food away before the Dark Lord entered. Once the house elf had cleaned up, he smiled slightly in thanks, and then the Dark Lord appeared.

"Hello, my followers." He hissed, walking around the table to his chair, "I have good news. The Final Battle… it approaches. It will be soon."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry everyone, I left a note on my profile about why I haven't been writing in a while. I'm going to update every other week until I finish both of my current stories (this one and Life of a Pureblood) and then go from there. However, I'm kind of iffy on this story-I feel like it needs rewriting, or something. So if you are interested in me continuing this story please let me know in a review. Thanks everyone.


	8. Burn Them All

Chapter 8

"How soon, my Lord?" Hermione asked, leaning forward in her seat. Lucius glanced at her curiously, for she never normally spoke much in meetings, and found that he held his gaze longer than he intended. She was just so beautiful; he couldn't stop looking at her. He shook his head at the thought. _When did I start thinking like this_? At that moment, he realized that he needed to stay away from Hermione Granger. _I'm acting like a love-struck teenager_, he realized, _I'm acting like my _son. Grimacing, he leaned back in his seat, and listened to the end of the Dark Lord's answer.

"—still unclear when it will be exactly, Hermione. But soon. Within the next month, that much I know for certain."

Hermione nodded, before sitting back in her chair. She glanced at Lucius and smiled, and he quickly looked away. She was making him weak, making him lose focus. The only thing that mattered was the war and his spot at the Dark Lord's side.

"As a show of our power, I would like put together a team to go raid a small Muggle town. Kill them all. Do I have any volunteers?"

"I will, my Lord." Lucius said, quickly. He needed to remember what was important—maybe this would help.

"Good, Lucius, good. Anyone else?"

Lucius tuned out as others volunteered, including Bellatrix, Draco and .. Hermione. _Damn, just what I need_, he thought, _I'm trying to get _away_ from the girl._ As the meeting ended, Lucius jumped to his feet and stalked out of the room, ignoring Hermione calling after him. He could hear Draco stop her, and heard the Dark Lord say he needed to talk to her. _Good_, he thought, _that will keep her busy for a while_. When he reached his office, he pulled the door open in anger, and then slammed it shut.

He needed to be alone to think, but he didn't know where to go. Hermione would surely find him here; it would probably be the first place she would look. Pacing, he realized he had nowhere to go in his own house where she wouldn't find him. At that thought he grabbed a decorative vase from his desk and hurled it across the room. As it shattered, there was a loud knock on the door.

Ripping the door open, he growled, "What?"

To his surprise, it wasn't Hermione who stood there, but Pansy Parkinson.

"Lucius," she purred, leaning against the doorframe, "you ran off so quickly after the meeting. I was worried about you."

Usually, Lucius was immediately aggravated by Pansy's blatant methods of seduction, but at the present time, she was exactly the distraction he needed. Without saying a word, he pulled Pansy into his office with a smirk, and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Lucius looked around in distaste as he scouted around the Muggle town where the attack was to take place the next day. To get away from the Manor and more specifically to get away Hermione constantly trying to corner him, he thought he would take a look around. He wanted the raid to go quickly and smoothly, and more than that he was using it as a chance to remember his place and who he is. Hermione was making him forget that.

So far he had circled the entire town, and he didn't anticipate any problems would arise. The Dark Lord had put him in charge of organizing the raid, and he planned on separating his people into small groups, each starting at a different spot in the town. It would be easy because in his opinion, this town was small enough to be considered a village. There were only about ten houses, a handful of shops, a town hall, town square, library, school and a pub.

In fact, since he had finished looking around, he headed toward the pub. He wanted to make sure that Hermione was sleeping when he arrived back at the Manor, so he could avoid another confrontation with her. There was no harm in going in and having a few drinks, he reasoned.

* * *

As he appeared in his room, he made a move for the bed and immediately stumbled, grabbing an armchair for balance.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Lucius turned toward the voice, which came from the matching armchair and saw a figure move and from the light of the fireplace he could make out Hermione's face.

"What does it look like?" He spat, taking a step toward her.

"It looks like you're drunk," she approached him slowly, shaking her head. "I've been waiting for you for hours, and you come home drunk."

"I didn't tell you to wait for me," he yelled, grabbing her arm, "so leave! I want to sleep."

He shoved her away and although the force of his push got her closer to the door, she didn't move other than that.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, softly, moving toward him again and setting a hand on his arm.

"You're what's wrong with me!" He snapped, smacking her hand off of his arm. "I'm not changing for you. This is who I am!"

She looked up at him in surprise, but didn't move away. Slowly, he began to unbutton his shirt, and leered at her.

"Now, unless you're here to shag, I suggest you get out."

With a hurt look on her face, Hermione turned and marched quickly out of the room. Lucius discarded his shirt on the floor, and collapsed into bed.

* * *

"Now, everyone knows where they're to apparate to, correct?" Lucius asked, as he gave the final brief on the raid that was about to commence. Everyone nodded in agreement, "Good, then let's get this over with."

The group began to apparate, and Lucius waited until everyone had gone before he apparated away. As he appeared in the town, he looked around at the chaos. It seemed they had picked a good day after all, as there seemingly had been a meeting in the town square. He watched his followers as they ravaged the town, keeping an eye on his son, while occasionally shooting a killing curse at a Muggle that was close to escaping.

"Avada Kedavra," he said, casually, and watched a mother fall to the ground. Her two kids that had been running with her stopped in their tracks, wondering where to run now that their mom wasn't leading. He pointed his wand first at the older of the two kids,

"Avad—"

"I'll do it," Hermione cut in, before wordlessly shooting a green light at the first child, then the second one. As the children fell, Lucius looked at her in surprise and before he could say anything, she was running off. With a shrug, Lucius turned back toward the town square, and saw all of his friends standing around, bodies covering the ground. No Muggles were moving. They were already dead. His group looked at him for direction on their next move. He gestured at the buildings,

"Burn them all." He ordered, before setting fire to the library himself, as one last blow to Hermione.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Short chapter, I'm sorry! I'm just trying to keep the pacing of the chapters work with my plan. This story is almost over, probably another two or three chapters and then the epilogue. Hope you enjoyed!

Thank you to **Smithback and sweet-tang-honney for my only two reviews for the last chapter!  
**


	9. Why Was She Different?

Chapter 9

Over the next week, Lucius was surprised to realize that his drunken outburst, and perhaps partially setting fire to the library in that Muggle town, seemingly had done its job in making Hermione leave him alone. He found that he missed her almost all the time, and when he saw her in meetings, he couldn't help but stare. However, he knew that he had made the right decision in chasing her away. She wasn't good for him; she made him think things he didn't want to think. He could admit to himself, only in his head, that she meant a lot to him. More than any woman had ever meant to him. But she could never know that, he didn't even want to think about what would happen if she did.

Luckily, he had figured out a way to forget about her—even if only for a few hours. Night after night, he would sit in a different seedy Muggle bar, downing glass after glass of whiskey, and at the end of the evening he would find a woman to take home. He didn't like to admit that when his head was spinning from the alcohol, every woman looked like Hermione.

On this particular night, he had had only one glass of whiskey before a woman came and sat beside him. He put on his most charming smile before turning to see—Hermione.

"Found you," she said, casually, before turning to the bartender, "I'll have a glass of whatever he's having."

Lucius raised an eyebrow in surprise, and said in a mocking tone, "I don't think you'll have a taste for what I'm drinking," he turned to the bartender, "Give her something really fruity, maybe something pink."

Hermione's eyes hardened and she muttered to the bartender, "Make that a double, will you? Of what he's having."

The bartender shrugged, and turned away to make the drink.

Lucius expected Hermione to immediately start talking to him, demanding answers for his behavior. But she stayed silent, only giving the bartender a quick thank you when he passed her a tall glass of whiskey. He couldn't help but sneak a quick glance at her when she took the first sip of her drink. He had never known a woman to enjoy whiskey, and he didn't think that fact would change today. But her sip turned into a gulp, and she had downed half of the glass in only moments. Trying to hide his surprise, he turned away and took a gulp of his own drink, finishing it off.

"Another one, please," he said to the bartender, pushing the glass toward him, "and make it a double."

He could feel Hermione's eyes on his as he spoke, and he was sure that she would take it as a challenge. By the time the bartender had passed him his next drink, Hermione was asking for another.

Rolling his eyes, he turned to the girl,

"I'm not carrying you home tonight, wench, I hope you realize that."

After taking a swig, she smiled sweetly,

"I'm under no such illusions, Mr. Malfoy."

And so they sat, and drank, in silence for the next half hour. That ended though, when the effects of the alcohol finally started to settle onto the young woman. She chugged her fifth glass, and slammed it down on the bar,

"Another please," she ordered, before getting to her feet, "I'll be back in a moment." She let go of the edge of the bar, which she had been holding onto for balance, and turned away. Lucius rolled his eyes as the girl stumbled toward the restrooms.

"You need to get a handle on your girlfriend," the bartender suggested, as he filled up both his and Hermione's drink.

"She's not my girlfriend," Lucius muttered.

"Sure seems like it," he countered.

Shaking his head, Lucius took the drink from the bartender and took a swig of his drink. Although his drinking had slowed, her's had continued, and now he felt only tipsy, while she was obviously very drunk. But that was not his problem.

"Well she's not," he said, almost to himself as the bartender had turned away.

But he turned around at the comment, and then pointed out at the makeshift dance floor, "And I would keep her away from that bloke, and that's more than just a suggestion."

Lucius turned his head and saw Hermione getting close with a tall, sleazy looking bloke. His hands were wrapped tightly around her waist.

Before Lucius even knew what he was doing, he had tossed money on the bar, got to his feet and stomped over to the two. Grabbing Hermione's wrist, he pulled her away.

"What the hell, man?" The bloke asked, but Lucius sent him a look that had him raising his hands in peace and backing away.

"We're leaving," Lucius hissed at Hermione, and dragged her through the crowd and outside.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Hermione slurred, pushed away from him. But then she began to fall backward, and Lucius had to reach over and pull her back to her feet. In doing so, he pulled her flush against his body. Hermione looked up at him, obviously attempting seduction, and whispered, "So that's what's wrong with you."

He furrowed his brows in confusion, as she got onto her tiptoes and brought her lips close to his, "because you only have to ask."

She brought her lips to his, slowly at first but in only moments he had her pushed up against the wall, attacking her lips with a hunger he hadn't anticipated. All of the passion that he had been holding in for the girl had come out in this kiss.

"Take me home," she whispered to him, "now."

He didn't know what exactly she was asking for, but moments later he had apparated them back into his bedroom. She continued to kiss him, pushing him toward the bed, as she worked on the buttons of his pants. Not really knowing what was coming over him, he pushed her lightly away.

"No," he whispered, "you're too far gone for this. You need to go to sleep."

Hermione pouted, "This is what you've been taking from those other women this week. Why not me?"

"Go to sleep," he replied, not answering the question.

"Fine," she sulked, and collapsed onto his bed. She was asleep moments later, and Lucius shook his head.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked himself. Normally no matter the intoxication of the woman, he would bed her. It wasn't a question of taking advantage for him, ever. But she was different. Why was she different?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Another short one, not much plot to be seen! All in a matter of time, only probably two chapters left and an epi! Review if you like, review if you don't!

Thanks **krista04** and** Smithback **for reviewing.**  
**


	10. I See It In Your Eyes

Chapter 10

Stretching his arms over his head, Lucius opened his eyes the next morning. He turned to look at the other side of the bed and saw Hermione laying there, still sleeping. Smiling slightly, he sat up and watched her for a moment before getting out of bed. It was still pretty early, and knowing how drunk she had been the night before, Lucius assumed it would be hours before she woke up. He also could predict how hung-over she would be when that happened. At that thought, he quickly got dressed and headed down the hallway to his potions room.

* * *

About an hour later he had completed the Hangover Potion. He put a stopper on the bottle, and walked back into his bedroom. After setting the bottle on the bedside table closest to the sleeping girl, he went to the bathroom to shower.

Midway through, he thought he heard the door opening, but assumed he was hearing things. The only person who could be coming in was Hermione, and Lucius didn't think that she would be the type to come into the bathroom while he showered. This conclusion proved to be false; when to his surprise a few seconds later, the shower door opened. He was even more shocked to see Hermione, naked as could be, stepping into the shower and closing the door behind her.

"What are you—?" Lucius started, but was cut off by Hermione bringing her lips to his.

"Good morning." She whispered, after pulling away.

"What are you doing?" He asked again.

Hermione just stood there, calmly as could be, and said,

"You can deny it all you want. But I see in your eyes when you look at me, exactly what is in mine. I'm falling in love with you. And I know you feel the same way."

She kissed him again, deeper this time, and Lucius immediately took charge. He pushed her again the wall of the shower and kissed her again.

"I don't want you to change for me," she murmured, as Lucius went lower to kiss her neck. "I like you just the way you are."

Immediately after that statement, he brought his lips back to her, roughly, as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Lucius realized that morning, several times, the difference between having sex and making love.

* * *

Hours later, Lucius was still lying in bed, watching Hermione get dressed.

"Are you sure you have to go?" He asked her, with a smirk, "Because I think I have several ways to convince you to stay."

She shot him a look,

"I told Bellatrix I would take her watch this afternoon. It's her and Rodolphus's anniversary."

Rolling his eyes, he sat up.

"Why would you take her shift so they can shag all night, when that's what we could be doing?"

"Lucius!" Hermione scolded, with a smile, "I'll come by when I'm done."

Before he could retort, there was a strong burning on his arm. His Mark. He could tell by the pained expression on Hermione's face that she was experiencing the same pain.

"A meeting. The battle must be soon." Lucius said, getting out of bed to get dressed.

"Well, I still have to take watch, so tell me what I miss." Hermione told him, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss, "I'll see you after."

Lucius watched with a smirk as she walked toward the door, and smiled in earnest when she turned around to wink at him before closing the door.

After he had dressed, he put on his mask and headed downstairs.

Although this had been an unplanned meeting, the room was already full when he entered it. Lucius expected that his fellow Death Eaters all knew what was going on: The Final Battle. The Dark Lord must know when it will be. Everyone sat in silence, anxiously awaiting their Master's arrival. When the door opened and He walked in, everyone rose in respect. No one spoke as he walked gracefully to the chair at the head of the table. He sat down and hissed,

"You may sit, my followers," He paused and waited for everyone to take their seats, "Lucius, where is Hermione?"

"She has watch, my Lord." Lucius replied, wondering why the Dark Lord was specifically asking about her.

"Ah, yes. Well, I expect someone will tell her what she needs to know. The Final Battle is tomorrow, my friends. Harry Potter is at Hogwarts, and that is where we will attack. Killing Harry Potter and taking Hogwarts," he smiled evilly, "it seems fitting, really. A good start to our reign on the Wizarding World."

* * *

After the meeting had adjourned, Lucius walked slowly toward the door, thinking deeply. He was worried. Right after he and Hermione had admitted how they felt about each other, they would both be in the front lines of battle. The two of them were also huge targets for the Order to kill. He, a Death Eater of many years, and her, a traitor. They would be lucky to both make it out of this battle alive.

As he walked out into the entrance hall, he saw Hermione standing watch by the front door. He walked swiftly over to her, and grabbed her hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked, obviously noticing the look on his face.

"The Final Battle will be tomorrow."

Before she could reply, there was a voice from behind them.

"Lucius, I need to speak with you."

He turned and bowed instantly at his Lord's feet.

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius replied, glancing back to smile at Hermione in reassurance before following the Dark Lord to his office.

"I can see you care very much about the girl, Lucius." The Dark Lord said, as they entered the room.

Lucius didn't quite know if this conversation was going to end well or poorly.

"I.. yes, my Lord, I would say that I do."

The Dark Lord nodded, briskly, "Love. I can see it."

Lucius looked away, "I don't know if I would go that far, my Lord."

When he looked back, the Dark Lord was glaring threateningly at him.

"I would," he hissed, "don't lose your way, Lucius. If you lose your focus now, there is no hope for you. Losing concentration in the battle because you're worried about the girl could get you killed. If your distractions tomorrow cause any problems, and you live, then I will kill you myself. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lord." He said, smoothly concealing the fear in his voice.

"You may go," he dismissed, and Lucius walked out of the room. He didn't know what he was going to do. Obviously he was going to be worrying about Hermione the entire time, he just couldn't get distracted. There was no way he was going to survive the battle, only to die at the Dark Lord's hand.

* * *

**Author's Note:** One more chapter than the epilogue! Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for **Ness171990, RachaelMalfoy** and **Smithback** for reviewing!


	11. The Battle

Chapter 11

Lucius woke up early the next morning—Hermione still lay sleeping beside him. The two of them had been up late the night before, knowing that it could be their last night together. Within the day one or both of them could be imprisoned, or dead. In fact, Lucius was carrying around a very bad feeling with him; somehow he just felt as though this day wasn't going to end well for the pair.

The plan was to Apparate to Hogwarts at dusk. Their forces through the country all had been ordered to meet in the Forbidden Forest at that time. On their side they had the giants, plenty of vampires and several dozens of werewolves—thanks to Fenrir. It should be an easy win, according to the Dark Lord. However, Lucius had heard that the Order's numbers had been rising significantly over the past couple of months, and he knew this would be a close battle. He just hoped that both he and Hermione would live to see the end of it—and of course, Draco as well. He didn't want his son to be harmed, and he needed to make sure that he watched out for Draco today. But before that, he needed to make sure that the contingency plan was ready. It had been Lucius' job to prepare a safe house, in case the Dark Lord died at Harry Potter's hands, or if they just got too out-numbered and all needed to Apparate away quickly. No one knew where it was or anything about it, so no one could ever be tortured for its whereabouts. Not even Hermione knew where it was.

Lucius dressed quickly and left Hermione in bed. After grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen and draining it quickly, he left the Manor and headed outside. It was too busy with preparations inside to Apparate to the safe house without anyone noticing and asking questions. Once he had made it to the Manor's gardens, he Apparated away.

* * *

"Where have you been all day?" Hermione asked later, as everyone sat in anticipation, waiting for the Dark Lord to arrive.

"I had to work on some things for the Dark Lord," Lucius told her, "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you alone today."

Hermione smiled as he pressed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"After the battle, we'll have all the time in the world." She told him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"My followers," the Dark Lord hissed, as he walked into the room, "Today is the day. Has everything been prepared?"

There were murmurs of assent, and the Dark Lord nodded in approval.

"We leave now." He told them. Everyone stood, and Lucius felt a jolt of anxiety. _Where did that come from_, he asked himself, _everything will be fine._ Lucius took Hermione's hand, and they all Apparated away.

In the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, Lucius almost could not see the extent of their troops. He could hear the werewolves, and couldn't help but cringe. He had never been fond of the beasts, though they would be critical in tonight's battle. The wolves were their surprise, something that Harry Potter and the Order would not be expecting. As he was still holding Hermione's hand, it was easy to tell that she was shaking. He turned to her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Everything will be fine," he assured her, "you can do this."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded, "you're right. I can."

It was at that moment that the Dark Lord called the troops to attention.

"This is it, my friends. Today is the day that I will finally kill Harry Potter, and tomorrow will be the day that we start our reign of the Wizarding World, and soon the Muggle world as well."

The Dark Lord paused, and he turned to Hermione. Lucius tensed up, knowing what was coming, but not wanting Hermione anywhere near the front lines.

"Hermione, will you join me?"

She squeezed Lucius's hand in reassurance, before walking up to stand next to the Dark Lord.

"Do the honors, will you, dear?"

Smiling, Hermione raised her wand to the sky, "Morsmordre!"

Lucius watched as the Dark Mark appeared in the sky, simultaneously causing a burn in the mark on his arm. This was the cue to charge, since there were troops all throughout the Forbidden Forest. Taking a deep breath, Lucius charged, and as the troops all ran through the forest, he could only wonder how this would end.

And as they exited the forest, the battle began.

* * *

Lucius had no idea how long the battle had been raging on, all that he knew is that he hadn't seen Hermione since it had begun. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen his son either. _Shit_, he thought, and ducked a stunning spell. He shot the killing curse in return, not even looking to see if he hit his target. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn't even tell if they were winning or losing. He knew that he had killed two Weasley sons, but he wasn't sure which two. Also he had killed Tonks, and that werewolf Lupin. But he knew now what he had to do, he had to find Hermione and his son, to make sure if they were okay. Dodging through the crowd, he saw Bellatrix battling Kingsley, and her husband had just shot a killing curse at Mad Eye, but he had missed. As he dodged curses and fights, he found himself in front of the one Weasley he had interest in killing: Ron Weasley.

Lucius could see the anger in the boy's eyes, and he knew it was because of Hermione. With a smirk, he threw a _Crucio_ at the boy, which he blocked. And at that, their fight began. He knew immediately that this would not be a hard fight. Draco had told him about the youngest male Weasley, and how he was only average at just about everything. Moments later, he had the boy on the ground.

"Avada—"

But before he could finish the curse, he was hit with a spell from behind. He fell to the ground, stunned. His last thought being, _Hermione.._

* * *

When Lucius regained consciousness, the battle still was going on around him. He had no idea how long he had been out, but the Weasley boy was long gone. Lucius quickly got to his feet, wand at the ready, and looked around. The battle was dying down, and he still didn't see Hermione or Draco. It seemed to him that more Order members were still standing than Death Eaters, and at that thought he began to run through the crowds, looking around for his son and the woman he loved.

Just as he reached the middle of the fighting, he heard a loud cheer erupt throughout the group. He saw Harry Potter standing by the body of.. the Dark Lord. In shock he turned away, only to have a person run straight into him.

"Lucius," it was Hermione, "Lucius, we have to get out of here. Call everyone to the forest, we have to get to the safe house."

Snapping out of his daze, he nodded. He put his wand to his mark, sending a message to everyone to meet in the forest for their group Apparation to the safe house. He grabbed Hermione's hand, and the pair ran toward the forest.

* * *

"We can't wait much longer," Hermione told Lucius, "Where is Draco?"

"I don't know.. I don't know.." He replied, shaking his head.

"We must go, Lucius," Bellatrix said, "he must be gone."

He couldn't mourn over his son now, he had to get everyone out. The remaining twenty or so Death Eaters that remained needed him to get them to safety.

"Alright, let's go." With that, he waved his wand around at the group, so that they would all know where to Apparate to. And then, they disappeared.

* * *

Hours later, Lucius stood on the back porch of the safe house, staring out into the forest thinking about his son. Fenrir had told him once they reached safety, that he had saw Draco go down. Sighing, he grabbed the hand of the woman standing next to him. At least he still had Hermione.

"It's okay, Lucius," she whispered, "There was nothing you could have done." She pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "I'll get you a water."

"No," he muttered, "no that's not what I want."

He pulled her toward him, pressing her against the railing, and bringing his lips to hers roughly. She let out a moan, and he brought his hands to her robes, undoing them and then pushing them off of her shoulders. She was now only dressed in a pair of black pants and a black shirt. She let him pull the shirt over her head, and then she brought her lips back to his.

He was rough, and she let him, and Lucius figured it was because she knew it was what he needed.

* * *

Afterwards, Hermione redressed quickly.

"I'm going to get you that water now," she said, with a smile. "I'll be back."

Just as she reached the door, he heard a banging noise, followed by shouting.

"What was that?" He asked, starting toward her and the door. Hermione didn't turn around, she only stood at the doorway, her hand on the knob.

"Nothing, I'm sure." She said, calmly.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

She turned around with a strange expression on her face.

"Yes, Lucius, I'm fine."

With that, she pulled her wand out at him.

"But you're not. _Petrificus Totalus_!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whaaaaat just happened, that's weird. Anyway, one more chapter, then the epilogue. Then this is done! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review and let me know what you thought ;)

Thank you to **krista04 and a guest for reviewing.  
**


	12. I Chose You

Chapter 12

Lucius fell to the ground, stiff as a board, in complete shock. _What the bloody hell is going on_? He could only watch as Hermione knelt next to him and grabbed his wand out of his pocket. She must have seen the confusion in his eyes, because she smirked slightly before speaking again.

"Do you really _think_ that I didn't expect you that day in New York? Did you _really think_ that the brightest witch of her age would have her wand out of reach if it weren't intentional?" She paused, and stood back up. Lucius watched as she strode over to the window to look inside, before turning back toward him.

"Honestly, Lucius, you thought that all it took for me to change sides was _saving_ me from Severus? Giving me a nice room and some food? Telling me a lie about Ron?" A slow smile spread across her face. "For Voldemort's right hand man, you are very gullible," the smile fell from her face and she got a contemplative look on her face. "I'm actually quite curious to hear your thoughts on the matter." She pointed her wand quickly at him, "Ennervate." Before Lucius could think to move, she casted another curse that bound him with ropes.

She cast a sweet smile in his direction,

"Any questions?"

Lucius struggled to get into a sitting position, not even sure what to say. How could he have been so stupid?

"Snape.." he muttered, "Snape raped you."

Hermione laughed outright at that.

"Severus never touched me. We're on the same side, him and I. We just made sure you heard what you needed to hear. Merlin, why did you think he tried to get you to hand the mission over to him?" She walked back over to him, kneeling next to him. "He thought you would hurt me," she brought a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently, "I told him I would be the one to hurt _you_." She stood back up abruptly.

"You were under Veritaserum," he muttered, "when the Dark Lord had to prove your loyalty."

"Are you not listening? Severus is not on your side. You went to him with a vial, asked him what potion had been found in my room. He lied to you. It wasn't a healing potion—it was a potion to protect against the effects of Veritaserum."

"Draco told me that he gave you the healing potion." Lucius said, and when Hermione went to look in the window again, he struggled quickly to try and loosen the ropes. Hermione let out a little sound of amusement.

"Wait here, will you? I need to check on things inside." Before Lucius could reply, she stepped inside the house. Lucius could see a fight going on. _Dear Merlin, what have I done_, he thought. His mind was reeling. _How did I not see this_? Hermione Granger had never been on their side. She had played them all, and now she had let Aurors into the safe house, where every surviving Death Eater was located. Lucius could only hope that his remaining Death Eaters could overtake the Aurors, so he could kill Hermione himself. _But would you be able to kill her,_ he thought, _you love her_. Shaking his head to rid himself of that thought, he glanced up to see the door opening again. Hermione did not step out alone this time, and he could not be more surprised to see who stepped out of the shadows.

"Draco," he murmured, "Draco, I thought you were dead."

"Hello, father." He replied.

"You asked about Draco, so I figured he might as well give you some of the answers you're looking for." Hermione told him, before going to sit down on a rocking chair across from him.

"What are you talking about?" Lucius snarled, "What answers?"

"You see, Father. I never wanted to follow the Dark Lord—but you never gave me a choice. So finally, I made my own."

"He's apart of the Order, Lucius," Hermione murmured, "your only son."

Lucius growled in frustration, trying in vain to loosen the ropes again,

"You're lying!"

He could make out Hermione's slight smile in the shadows.

"She isn't, Father. And it was the best decision I've made in my entire life," he paused and looked back at Hermione, "well, second best decision."

"How could you, Draco?" Lucius muttered.

"How could _you_ let that bastard kill Mother?" Draco retorted.

"I had no choice!" He yelled, "I couldn't have stopped him!"

Hermione stood up and walked over to stand next to Draco.

"Everyone has the ability to make their own choices, Lucius. You just chose all the wrong ones." She told him.

"I chose you," he roared.

Hermione knelt down in front of him again, "But I never wanted you," she whispered, stroking the side of his face. With a pitying smile, Hermione rose and turned to head to the door. Draco followed, and Lucius could see him reach for her hand. As the door closed, leaving him in the darkness, Lucius let his head fall back against the railing as he looked up at the ceiling, Hermione's last words repeating over and over again in his head, _But I never wanted you._

* * *

"Lucius Malfoy, you are here in the Wizengamot today on trial because you are thought to be a Death Eater, and are here on charges having to do with this. Do you understand these charges?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked.

Lucius stood in the middle of the courtroom, locked in a small cell, barely wide enough for him to fit.

"Yes," he replied, hoarsely.

"You have been awaiting trial for six months in Azkaban Prison, and if you are convicted today that is where you will return. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he answered again.

There was a pause as Kingsley shuffled through some pieces of parchment.

"The charges today are sixteen murders of wizards and witches before the Final Battle, and the murders of Bill Weasley, Fred Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin and Seamus Finnigan."

Lucius stopped listening to the charges being read off, instead wondering how they had known how many people he had killed prior to the battle. But as that thought crossed his mind, he immediately knew the answer.

"—Hermione Malfoy is here to give testimony and evidence on the charges."

Hermione _Malfoy_..

_I was wondering how many people you've killed. How many you've tortured._

_ Why does that matter?_

_ I want to know everything about you—the good and the bad._

_ The good and the bad._

_ The good and the bad._

Lucius watched as Hermione rose from a seat in the audience. He noticed her lean over to give a man a quick kiss—Draco. She walked confidently through the crowd, until she sat in the witness stand next to Shacklebolt.

"The exact number of murders committed by Lucius Malfoy was given as evidence to the Ministry by you, is that correct, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Can you tell the courtroom how you obtained this information?"

"He told me. I have the memory here to place into evidence." She pulled a vial out of her purse, and handed it to the Minister. Lucius couldn't stop staring at Hermione as Shacklebolt called for a pensieve to be brought in. She looked good, he thought, darkly, irritated by the fact that while he wasted away in Azkaban, Hermione was out in the world, married to his traitor of a son. He brought a hand to his face, feeling the beard growing there. What he wouldn't do for a shave right now, he thought, bitterly.

Lucius focused his attention back to the Minister, who had just watched Hermione's memory of Lucius admitting to the amount of murders he has committed.

"Compelling evidence. We shall take a recess so that the members of the Wizengamot can see the memory as well, before we decide on the verdict."

Lucius watched Hermione stand, and noticed something he hadn't before when she had came to the stand. She was recognizably pregnant. With that came a jolt of pain, and he yelled,

"Granger, is that baby mine or my son's?"

Hermione turned in surprise to look at him. She shot him an amused smile, before making her way back to her _husband_.

* * *

"Lucius Malfoy, you are found guilty on sixteen counts of murder prior to the war's end, and the murder of five Order of the Phoenix members during the Final Battle," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. Lucius didn't even react; he had known what was coming. He glanced over at his son and wife to see them hugging. That caused another jolt of pain to rush throughout his body—the pain of betrayal, the pain of watching the woman he loved with someone else. It was a complicated pain, since she had never loved him, but he found that that didn't stop him from loving her. He hoped that feeling would go away soon. In fact, he was hoping that he got the Dementor's Kiss, so he would never have to feel again. _This is why I always told Draco that love makes you weak_, he thought to himself, _that is what it does. It cripples you._ "Because the Dementor's Kiss has been outlawed as cruel and unusual punishment, you are sentenced to life in Azkaban."

Lucius glanced once more at Hermione, as the magical cell began to lower into the ground. She was looking right back at him, with an emotionless stare. And then, everything was black.

* * *

Lucius didn't know how long he had been sitting in this cell. It could have been a few hours, days or weeks. The small barred window gave no indication of the time of day. It was always dark. And all he ever did was sit on a lumpy mattress, dementors using their powers to make him relive the worst memories of his life.

_If it were up to me, I would want you as far from the Dark Lord's side as possible._

_I'll be fine. I'll be near you._

Lucius groaned, wishing he could just forget everything.

_Who's that man talking to the woman who looks like she already had too much to drink?_

_Where are you looking?_

_Right there! Well, what's the guy's name?_

_You win._

He wished that he could forget every moment that he spent with Hermione Granger, that he could forget every second in her presence.

_Will you stay with me tonight_?

Every second he spent with her had been a lie. Every word.

_I'll have a glass of whatever he's having._

_I don't think you'll have a taste for what I'm drinking._

_Make that a double, will you? Of what he's having._

She was the first woman that he actually loved, and it had be a farce from the start.

_She's not my girlfriend._

_Sure seems like it_.

Hermione had been with Draco the entire time, Lucius had realized that the moment they had left him on that porch. It was obvious to him now.

_This is what you've been taking from those other women this week. Why not me? _

Love weakens you—it makes you foolish. He knew that now.

_You can deny it all you want. But I see in your eyes when you look at me, exactly what is in mine. I'm falling in love with you. And I know you feel the same way._

_I don't want you to change for me. I like you just the way you are._

Lucius let his head fall back against the stone wall, wondering how his son and Hermione were doing—if they felt guilty for what they had done to him.

_I'm sorry I couldn't be with you alone today._

_After the battle, we'll have all the time in the world._

He tried to stop thinking about it, to stop thinking about her. But when he did, all he could hear were the screams of the prisoners around him—the ones giving into the fear and sadness of their worst memories. _I will never give in._

_Everything will be fine. You can do this_.

_You're right. I can._

He realized now that he had only reassured her that she could betray him—and that she had. Those were memories that would never leave him; for he had been betrayed by a woman he had loved. And those were the worst memories in his existence.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Theeee end! I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter, and feel as bad for Lucius as I do. I know this is a really sad ending, please don't leave too much hate. :( From the start, I just knew it wasn't going to end well for Lucius. It would have been too easy otherwise. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I need some loving!

Thanks to **OreoPie** for reviewing the last chapter.


	13. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

I know, I suck, putting another Author's Note on another story, but I can't really think of any other way to get ahold of you all. I was just rereading this story, for fun, out of boredom, you know, the usual, and I got to thinking: Would any of you be interested in this story from Hermione's point of view? Let me know in a review, please and thank you!


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